Chick-viewing, heat-conserving hover



Oct. 20, 1959 N. coRms CHICK-VIEWING, HEAT-CONSERVING HOVER Fil ed Sept. 19. 1957 NIH irLl' Fig. 4

INVENTOR.

Ivar Gard/s ATTORNEY United States Patent "i ce 2,909,152 CHICK-VIEWING, HEAT-CONSERVING HOVER Nat Cordis, Silver Lake, I Application September 19, 1957, Serial No. 684,971

6 Claims. Cl. 119-31 .This invention relates to a hover for poultryand the like and more specifically pertains to a/portable heated hover adapted to prevent the massing or huddling of chicks under the hover and to minimize heat losses from the hover.

Infra-red heat lamps have been used for some time for the purpose of supplying heat for baby chicks. In such a system it is desired that there be a uniform heat pattern at the floor level. However, with opaque metal hovers the pattern can not be observed and controlled; the massing of chicks can not be noted or avoided; and losses of heat and of chicks are high.

' The invention, therefore, has a primary object of eliminating the disadvantages of stationary, opaque, heatreflecting hovers. A further object of the invention is provide a see-through hover which is simple yet durable in construction, is easy to install and adjust, and

inexpensive to use. An additional object of the invention is to provide a hover which includes adjustable means for positioning the hover with respect to the floor and in a non-hazardous orientation with respect to the heater. These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as the description of it proceeds.

In its preferred form my hover comprises a pyramidal canopy, from the bottom edges of which depend walls or curtains. A demountable frame of easily removable and coupled rods encircle the canopy and provide support for thedepending skirt. Looped cord or sling means atthe open apex of the canopy provides means for adjustably supporting the vented canopy, the coupled rods extending the canopy in the manner of a hoop skirt. Thus the entire hover may be adjustably suspended at any desired level above the floor, independently of the level of the heater in the hover. The hovers may readily be elevated to provide access to the floor area and to control the circulation of air upwardly through the hover which is vented at the apex.

One form of heater commonly used in hovers comprises a reflector and one or more infra-red electric lamps carried below the reflector, this latter being held to a ceiling rafter or other overhead support by a chain, cable, wire, etc. According to my invention such supporting chain etc. supports my hover through an adjustable hanger member removably secured to the chain etc. and having hook or finger means for engaging the loops of the cord at the apex of the hover. The hanger serves to retain the vent at the apex open.

The hover constructed according to my invention fits most types of infra-red heaters, increases effective heating area up to 60%, and is designed to cut operating costs up to 60%. Comprised of transparent and opaque plastic panels with a depending skirt, my hover affords constant viewing of the chicks while minimizing heat radiation. Dealers and users have no over-season storage problem since the unit can be compactly folded and stored until needed.

The hover according to the invention prevents hitherto unnoticed chick pile-ups and suffocation and discourage 2,909,152 Patented Oct. 20, 1959 overhead cover which the chicks instinctively seek.

Durability and simplicity of design, portability, and the effectiveness in attaining the objects of the invention will become more apparent as my description of the invention proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Y

Figure 1 is a perspective illustrating the hover in use;

Figure 2 is a top view in reduced scale of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of the demountable frame construction;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a corner of the hover canopy with the frame of Figure 3 in place; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view of the adjustable support hanger for the hover canopy.

Referring to the drawing, the hover 10 comprises a plurality of trapezoidal panels 11 and 12. In the embodiment shown, the panel 12 is clear and the alternate panel 11 is translucent or opaque. It will be understood that various combinations ofthe three types of plastic panels: clear, translucent, and opaque, may be combined to attain the advantages of my invention. Each of the panels 11 and 12 is provided ,with a depending skirt 18 and 19, the lower edge of which is raised an adjustable distance from the floor. All seams are thermosealed.

A number of suitable plastic materials in many weights and optical clearness are available, polyethylene and vinyl sheets being two which are suitable for my purposes, A 3 mill vinyl window-clear plastic sheet manufactured by the Bakelite Company under the trade name Krene Cast-Film Window-Clear is a typical material which has I been found satisfactory. Clear, translucent, and opaque sheets may be mixed in any given hover but I prefer to include at least one clear panel 12 in each hover 10.

To maintain the hover in its spread array I provide a demountable frame comprising a plurality of rods 15 and tubular angular joints 17 as shown in Figure 3. The rods 15 pass through reinforcing pads 16 adjacent each corner with the tubular joints 17 inside the hover 10. The rods 15 are also inside the hover 10 and support the lower edges of'the panels 11 and 12 in the manner shown by the drawing' At the top of the hover 10 I provide a vent port 10a and an endless draw string 25 which is threaded and looped through and between a number of reinforced eyelets 26 in each panel 11 and 12. Lifting the loops 25a upwardly and then securing the loops 25a to the hanger disc 27 extends the hover 10 in the array shown. The hanger disc or spider 27 has fingers 28 over which the loops 25a of the endless cord 25 are hung. A port '29 in the disc 27 receives the chain 13 and a pin, bolt, or sleeve etc. 30 engages the chain 13 and supports the hanger 27 at any desired level with respect to the floor and to the heater unit.

Surrounding the hover 10 I may provide a collapsible wall or fence 20, which suitably may comprise a portion of the shipping and storage carton for the hover assembly.

Within the hover 10 is a heating unit 21, a popular form of such unit including the infra-red heating bulbs 22 in a frame 23 supported by chains 24 and hung on the cable, chain or other adjustable support 13. The disc 27 is secured to the support 13 as described. Thus the height of the heating unit 21 and the relative height of the hover to the unit 21 and to the floor may be adjusted readily.

I have described my rods 15 as being straight but it is contemplated that these rods may be modified in shape so as to discourage roosting on the edges of the hover 10. For example the rods may be curved from end to end so as to cause the lower edges of the hover to bow outwardly or upwardly. Also the rod 17, after passing through the double eyelet pads 16, may angle upwardly toward the open apex of the hover and downward to the second pad 16 in the particular panel 11 or 12. With a panel having a base width of about 30 inches, the apex'augle of such a rod can be about 10 to 12 inches from the base of the panel.

The hovers can be assembled from 4 to 8 panels but the fewer the panels, the steeper the sides of the hover when erected. The skirt portions 19 are not sealed at their edges and accordingly the panel units are adaptable to versatile modification before and after assembly. In the latter case, the panels may be doubled over one another to reduce the size, increase the height of the hover at the apex, and to provide double thickness of panels for improvedheat insulation. For each pair of panels which are doubled over,.one rod 15 and one corner joint 17 are removed. This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 550,936, filed December 5, 1955, and entitled Plastic Chick Hover now abandoned.

Although I have described my invention in terms of a preferred embodiment which is set forth in some detail, it should be understood that this is by way of illustration only and that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, I may provide a cooling means by suspending "a cooling unit in place of the heater or by piping cooled air into the apex vent of the hover. Likewise, I may provide external radiant heating through a transparent panel, one cluster of heat lamps supplying heat to more than one hover. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of my description and accordingly it is contemplated that modifications in my invention can be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

' What I claim is:

1. A hover for use with a suspended heater which comprises a truncated flexible pyramidal canopy formed of alternate transparent and translucent panels, a demountable frame extending the base of said canopy, said frame comprising a plurality of rods and angular connectors disposed at the corners of the pyramidal canopy, a vent at the truncated apex of said canopy, a flexible support fixed to said canopy about said vent, said support being adapted to be fixed to the suspension for such heater, and a skirt depending from said canopy and below said frame.

2. A poultry hover comprising a canopy including a plurality of foldable flexible panels permanently secured together to form a collapsible canopy of generally truncated pyramidal form and open both at the base and at the truncated apex, demountable polygonal frame means distending the lower portion of the canopy, and suspension means fixed about the apex.

3. The hover of claim 2 wherein the panels are organic plastic film material and said suspension means is an endless cord threaded through and looped above the apex.

4. A hover for use in conjunction with a suspended heat source comprising a non-metallic flexible-canopy fabricated from aplurality of similar trapezoidal plastic panels in the form of a truncated pyramid, demountable polygonal frame means supporting the base of the canopy in fixed distended array, a vent at the apex of the truncated canopy, said vent accommodating the utilities to the suspended heat source, hanger means carried by said suspended heat source, and cord means threaded through the upper ends of said panels forming said canopy and secured to said hanger means.

5. A hover for young poultry comprising a pyramidal canopy, demountable frame means extending the base of said canopy, a vent at the apex of said canopy, and means threaded and looped about said vent and suspending said canopy in extended array.

6. The apparatus comprising a collapsible canopy formed of a plurality of flexible light-transmitting panels permanently secured together at opposite edges to form a normally collapsible unitary canopy of generally truncated pyramidal form and open at the base and at the apex, demountable, polygonal frame means distending the lower portion of the canopy, a skirt integral with said canopy and depending from said frame means, looped cord means secured to the apex of said canopy, suspension means adapted to be connected to and suspending from an overhead support, and height adjustable means on said suspension means for engaging said looped cord means to suspend said canopy in distended array.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,547,233 Patterson July 28, 1925 2,493,589 McCaskell Ian. 3, 0 2,604,875 Klay July 29, 1952 2,809,608 Gilbertson Oct. 15, 1957 

